Flora of North America species comparison

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Draba ramulosa

Draba chamissonis

Tushar Mountain Draba

Cape Thompson Draba
Habit Perennials; (loosely matted, grayish); caudex branched (with persistent leaf bases, branches creeping, sometimes terminating in sterile rosettes); not scapose. Perennials; (cespitose, sometimes forming mats); caudex branched (covered with persistent leaf bases); not scapose.
Stems

unbranched, 0.4–0.6 dm, densely pubescent throughout, trichomes dendritic, 3–6-rayed, (often crisped), 0.1–0.4 mm.

unbranched, 0.4–1.2 dm, pubescent throughout, trichomes minutely stalked, stellate, 8–12-rayed, (non-crisped), 0.03–0.3 mm, sometimes with simple and 2-rayed ones, to 0.3 mm.
Basal leaves

(imbricate);

not rosulate;

sessile;

blade obovate to oblanceolate, 0.4–1.1 cm × 2–3.2 mm, margins entire, (base and margins not ciliate), surfaces pubescent with stalked, 4–8-rayed trichomes, 0.1–0.5 mm, (sometimes 1 or more rays spurred), adaxially sometimes trichomes simple.

rosulate;

petiole (obsolete), margin usually not ciliate, (trichomes, when present, simple and 2-rayed, 0.2–0.35 mm);

blade oblanceolate to obovate, 0.4–1 cm × 1–3 mm, margins denticulate or entire, surfaces pubescent with short-stalked, stellate, (non-crisped), 8–12-rayed trichomes, 0.05–0.2 mm, (midvein obscure abaxially).
Cauline leaves

2 or 3 (sometimes basal leaves spaced, flowering stem appearing to 8-leaved);

sessile;

blade oblong to ovate, margins entire, surfaces pubescent as basal.

(1 or) 2–7;

sessile;

blade broadly ovate, margins usually denticulate, rarely entire.
Racemes

4–15-flowered, ebracteate or proximalmost 1 or 2 flowers bracteate, slightly elongated in fruit;

rachis not flexuous, pubescent as stem.

4–10-flowered, proximalmost 1–5 flowers bracteate, elongated;

rachis not flexuous, pubescent as stem.
Flowers

sepals broadly ovate, 1.7–2.4 mm, pubescent, (trichomes short-stalked, 2–5-rayed);

petals yellow, obovate to oblanceolate, 3–4.5 × 1.5–2.5 mm;

anthers ovate, 0.4–0.5 mm.

sepals ovate, 1.5–2.2 mm, pubescent, (trichomes simple and short-stalked, 2–5-rayed);

petals white, obovate, 2–3.5 × 1.5–2 mm;

anthers ovate, 0.2–0.3 mm.
Fruiting pedicels

divaricate-ascending, usually straight, rarely curved upward, 3–6(–10) mm, pubescent, trichomes 3–6-rayed, (crisped, 0.1–0.4 mm), and, sometimes, simple.

ascending, straight, (4–)6–13(–20) mm, pubescent as stem.
Fruits

(not appressed to rachis), ovate to elliptic, plane, flattened, 4–6.5 × 2.5–4 mm;

valves densely pubescent, trichomes simple and short-stalked, 2–5-rayed, 0.08–0.35 mm;

ovules 6–12 per ovary;

style (0.1–)0.3–0.7 mm.

linear to narrowly lanceolate, slightly twisted or plane, flattened, 5–11 × 1.1–1.6(–2) mm;

valves glabrous;

ovules 16–20 per ovary;

style 0.1–0.3 mm.
Seeds

oblong, 1.4–1.8 × 0.8–1.2 mm.

ovoid, 0.6–0.9 × 0.3–0.5 mm.
2n

= 16.

Draba ramulosa

Draba chamissonis
Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug. Flowering Jun–Jul.
Habitat Rock outcrops, talus, gravelly soils Rock cliffs, bluffs, wind-swept tundra
Elevation 3300-3600 m (10800-11800 ft) 0-500 m (0-1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
UT
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; e Asia (Russian Far East, n Siberia)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Molecular and chromosomal data (M. D. Windham, unpubl.) strongly suggest that Draba ramulosa is an allopolyploid species. It is thought to have originated through hybridization between D. sobolifera and a member of the white-flowered, euploid lineage of M. A. Beilstein and M. D. Windham (2003). It is easily distinguished from D. sobolifera by having pale yellow to whitish (versus bright yellow) petals, grayish (versus green) foliage, non-ciliate (versus ciliate) basal leaves pubescent with 4–8-rayed (versus 2–4-rayed) trichomes, often proximally bracteate (versus ebracteate) racemes, and flattened (versus inflated basally) fruits. Draba ramulosa is known from the Tushar Mountains in south-central Utah (Beaver and Piute counties).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

C. L. Hitchcock (1941) treated Draba chamissonis as a variety of D. nivalis and listed it from British Columbia; R. C. Rollins (1993) did not mention the taxon at any rank. The limited North American material of D. chamissonis that we examined is all from Alaska. The species strongly resembles D. nivalis, from which it is distinguished by having (1 or) 2–7 broadly ovate cauline leaves, proximalmost fruiting pedicels (4–)6–13(–20) mm, petals 1.5–2 mm wide, and fruits 1.1–1.6(–2) mm wide. By contrast, D. nivalis has one ovate or oblong cauline leaf, or none, proximalmost fruiting pedicels 1–4.5(–8) mm, petals 0.8–1.4 mm wide, and fruits 1.5–2.2 mm wide.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 332. FNA vol. 7, p. 300.
Parent taxa Brassicaceae > tribe Arabideae > Draba Brassicaceae > tribe Arabideae > Draba
Sibling taxa
D. abajoensis, D. albertina, D. aleutica, D. alpina, D. aprica, D. arabisans, D. arctica, D. arctogena, D. argyrea, D. arida, D. asprella, D. asterophora, D. aurea, D. aureola, D. bifurcata, D. borealis, D. brachycarpa, D. brachystylis, D. breweri, D. burkei, D. californica, D. cana, D. carnosula, D. chamissonis, D. cinerea, D. corrugata, D. corymbosa, D. crassa, D. crassifolia, D. cruciata, D. cuneifolia, D. cusickii, D. cyclomorpha, D. daviesiae, D. densifolia, D. exunguiculata, D. fladnizensis, D. glabella, D. globosa, D. graminea, D. grandis, D. grayana, D. heilii, D. helleriana, D. hitchcockii, D. howellii, D. incana, D. incerta, D. incrassata, D. inexpectata, D. jaegeri, D. juvenilis, D. kassii, D. kluanei, D. lactea, D. lemmonii, D. lonchocarpa, D. longisquamosa, D. macounii, D. maguirei, D. malpighiacea, D. micropetala, D. mogollonica, D. monoensis, D. mulliganii, D. murrayi, D. nemorosa, D. nivalis, D. norvegica, D. novolympica, D. oblongata, D. ogilviensis, D. oligosperma, D. oreibata, D. oxycarpa, D. palanderiana, D. pauciflora, D. paucifructa, D. paysonii, D. pectinipila, D. pedicellata, D. pennellii, D. petrophila, D. pilosa, D. platycarpa, D. porsildii, D. praealta, D. pterosperma, D. ramosissima, D. rectifructa, D. reptans, D. ruaxes, D. santaquinensis, D. saxosa, D. scotteri, D. serpentina, D. sharsmithii, D. sibirica, D. sierrae, D. simmonsii, D. smithii, D. sobolifera, D. spectabilis, D. sphaerocarpa, D. sphaeroides, D. standleyi, D. stenoloba, D. stenopetala, D. streptobrachia, D. streptocarpa, D. subalpina, D. subcapitata, D. subumbellata, D. trichocarpa, D. ventosa, D. verna, D. viridis, D. weberi, D. yukonensis, D. zionensis
D. abajoensis, D. albertina, D. aleutica, D. alpina, D. aprica, D. arabisans, D. arctica, D. arctogena, D. argyrea, D. arida, D. asprella, D. asterophora, D. aurea, D. aureola, D. bifurcata, D. borealis, D. brachycarpa, D. brachystylis, D. breweri, D. burkei, D. californica, D. cana, D. carnosula, D. cinerea, D. corrugata, D. corymbosa, D. crassa, D. crassifolia, D. cruciata, D. cuneifolia, D. cusickii, D. cyclomorpha, D. daviesiae, D. densifolia, D. exunguiculata, D. fladnizensis, D. glabella, D. globosa, D. graminea, D. grandis, D. grayana, D. heilii, D. helleriana, D. hitchcockii, D. howellii, D. incana, D. incerta, D. incrassata, D. inexpectata, D. jaegeri, D. juvenilis, D. kassii, D. kluanei, D. lactea, D. lemmonii, D. lonchocarpa, D. longisquamosa, D. macounii, D. maguirei, D. malpighiacea, D. micropetala, D. mogollonica, D. monoensis, D. mulliganii, D. murrayi, D. nemorosa, D. nivalis, D. norvegica, D. novolympica, D. oblongata, D. ogilviensis, D. oligosperma, D. oreibata, D. oxycarpa, D. palanderiana, D. pauciflora, D. paucifructa, D. paysonii, D. pectinipila, D. pedicellata, D. pennellii, D. petrophila, D. pilosa, D. platycarpa, D. porsildii, D. praealta, D. pterosperma, D. ramosissima, D. ramulosa, D. rectifructa, D. reptans, D. ruaxes, D. santaquinensis, D. saxosa, D. scotteri, D. serpentina, D. sharsmithii, D. sibirica, D. sierrae, D. simmonsii, D. smithii, D. sobolifera, D. spectabilis, D. sphaerocarpa, D. sphaeroides, D. standleyi, D. stenoloba, D. stenopetala, D. streptobrachia, D. streptocarpa, D. subalpina, D. subcapitata, D. subumbellata, D. trichocarpa, D. ventosa, D. verna, D. viridis, D. weberi, D. yukonensis, D. zionensis
Synonyms D. frigida var. kamtschatica, D. kamtschatica, D. lonchocarpa subsp. kamtschatica, D. nivalis var. kamtschatica
Name authority Rollins: Contr. Gray Herb. 214: 6. (1984) G. Don: Gen. Hist. 1: 184. (1831)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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